*Stuart’s POV*
I was brought into a dark room where they tied my hands and feet to the chair.
“Why are you doing this to me?” I screamed at them. Why are they tying me to the chair? What are they planning to do?
“I am sorry, Sir,” one of the men said, “we are just following orders.”
“Fvck! What do you need? Money? Let me go, and I will give you any amount you need,” I offered while trying to free myself.
I heard them laugh before one of them spoke again, “You can’t bribe us with your money. We are just following orders. It is not us who will decide whether to untie you.”
*Patricia’s POV*I was lying wide awake on my bed as I stared at the ceiling trying to think for an excuse to stay away from Stuart. I am sure that Stuart will do something to get even with me after what happened in the hotel. I am afraid that he will ask me to warm his bed, something that I know I would be willing to give. But I must stop myself. I cannot be the same Patricia before, the one who is willing to give everything without asking in return.I still love Stuart and I am willing to give myself to him but he has to give himself to me also. I just need him to tell me that he loves me. That is the only thing I would like to hear from him to assure myself that giving ourselves a chance is the right decision.But Stuart has his ways and I wonder how I can escape him today. I lo
*Patricia’s POV*I hurriedly entered Bubble Tea because my friends had been waiting for me there. Stuart has a meeting and I asked him if I could go and meet my friends. He allowed me and that is why I am here. I was told that Arlene just arrived from Singapore and that is the reason why we decided to have a girls’ day out.“You never changed, Patricia,” Arlene uttered.“You missed me?” I joked.“Hmm, seems like you’re in a good mood,” she noticed, “are you and Stuart getting back together?”“How I wish,” I rolled my eyes, “but I am not putting my hopes on it. I do not want to assume that something special is
*Stuart's POV*"What happened, Marco?" I called, "How come my reservation became two rooms?" "Have you forgotten that you hired Patricia as your personal assistant? She may have checked your reservation and changed its details."I silently cursed after remembering that Patricia had access to all my transactions. This can't be! My plans will only work if she knows about it.Kaz fixed his problem by telling everyone he was already engaged. This way, the media's attention now turns to knowing about his fiancé. I feel that Kaz will introduce Patricia as his fiance, and I cannot allow it to happen."How about if you make sure Patricia gets pregnant," Marco suggested."I am not that desperate, Marco," I answered."Then do something," he uttered, "Kaz already told us about his plans to pursue Patricia.""Patricia does not love him," I interrupted."I don't know, man," I heard him say, "Kaz was there for her when you announced your divorce."Fvck! Why didn't I think of that? Marco's right. I
*Stuart's POV*I continued to check my time while anticipating her arrival. I can't stop walking, wondering if I'll get everything right. I want this date to be perfect. I want it to be memorable. My friend told me that it might not be a good idea to stage a kidnapping scene to surprise Patricia. He said pranks like this could usually ruin a lovely and romantic date, so he volunteered to be the one to pick up Patricia and deliver her safely to our date.He was right. Things might go wrong, especially when there will be bystanders who will try to save Patricia, thinking that it's an actual kidnapping incident. With that, I agreed with him and allowed him to go and check on Patricia.Almost everyone showed their support for me. I think only Mago is not happy that I am finally telling Patricia how I felt. He said he'd lose the bet he had with Arlene if I pursued my plan. But I told him to settle his own problem. He likes Arlene. Arlene will be the
*Stuart’s POV*I did not intend to force myself on her, but when I remembered the times when Kaz was at my place, I couldn’t help but feel mad. She allowed Kaz to tell her what to do, and I want to have the same privilege. I paid for this night; I should get what I want.I watched her intently as she was in deep sleep beside me. She got tired after what we did last night. I hate it! I did not want to hurt her, but I did. I was too blinded by the pain I felt. I did everything to show her my love. I sang, I danced, I cried, for Pete’s sake! So when I learned she chose to leave with Kaz than meet me, I decided to save my pride.I caressed her face, thinking, ’ Why can’t you stay away from Kaz? I tried to be like Kaz. I left my element, but why do you prefer to be with Kaz than with me?’My tears fell when I remembered our exchange of words last night.*flashback*”H
*Stuart's POV*" That's enough, Stuart," Mago came to check on me," you've had enough drink already."" I was ready to tell her," I uttered," I was prepared to confess my love to her."" Hey, remember that you have everything you need to bring back Patricia," he reminded me," stop wasting your time and use your available resources to your advantage."I stopped and thought for a while. Mago was right. I still have the edge in this race. I paid her debts and bought her parents' house. I owned almost everything that she had. It is time to change my ways. I only do these cheesy kinds of stuff because I want to compete with Kaz. But it is not working. This time, I will work my way – the fierce way." Hey, let me take you to your place," Mago offered." No," I refused," take me to the Grand Beatrice Hotel."" But you're drunk," Mago asserted." I'm good, man," I assured him," I already have plans. Take me to t
*Patricia's POV*It's been a week since being his bedwarmer was added to my job description. Since then, Stuart has been aggressive. His appetite for sex doubled; I can't even count the many times we did it in his room, in his bathroom, in his car, and in his office.But I also need to be careful during those days because I continue to receive gifts with mysterious notes. This week, I received three numbered 31, 7, and 18, while the watermarked letters were R, O, and E. I tried to decode its secret message, but I was distracted when a lady wearing red passed by my table and was heading to Stuart's office."Excuse me," I stopped her, "where are you heading?""I am on my way to Stuart's office," she partially took off her shades, "so obviously, I am here to see him.""I am sorry, but you'll have to wait while I'll inform hi–""He is expecting me," she said. She did not let me finish and went past me."
*Stuart's POV*Excited.Happy.Anxious.I was filled with mixed feelings while I tried to make Marco's suggestions. Thanks to his wife, Janine, I reaped the benefits of Marco's addiction to reading romance novels. Because of this, we plan about my proposal to Patricia.Marco and Angelo promised to help. Mago could not say no to us because he was defeated in our bet. Kaz needed an opportunity to expose his fake relationship with Vivienne because some were skeptical about their engagement. In short, everything is set according to plan, and I have high hopes that this day won't end until Patricia knows I love her." Enchanted Kingdom?" Patricia whispered when she saw where we were heading.It was Marco's idea for us to go to the amusement park, and to make sure that no one would be plotting against my proposal, he invited all of our friends to be on a group date. That means Kaz will be there with his fake fiance.
*Patricia’s POV*I never expected what happened, but I am thankful that everything became clear. Because of the revelation, this is the right way for Stuart and I to start over again. We both love each other, and there are no more secrets. I could not say that I had already forgiven Sandra because I still hated the idea that she tried to manipulate Stuart so she could have someone to fall back on. But everything happens for a reason. What happened paved the way for Stuart to prove he truly loves me. He never gave up on me, even when I had already given up on him.As for Alexis, Xander came to take Alexis and Sandra. They have decided to continue Alexis’ treatment in the United States with the hopes that they will be able to find a donor there. I wish them well, and I hope that the experts in America will be able to help them.I do not want to think that everything will be perfect. Things will never be perfect in this world. What matters is that we learn to love, forgive, and change fo
*Stuart’s POV*I can’t measure my happiness while watching my wife sleep in my arms. I caressed her face as I admired her delicate features. She moved and tried to cover her face with a pillow, but I stopped her.”Stuart,” she complained, ”I am still sleepy.””What? I didn’t do anything,” I replied.”You are seducing me, mister!” she opened her eyes and squinted at me.”Seducing? I have not even started it yet,” I pulled her closer to me, ”but if you are already seduced, why don’t we do what we did last night.””You’re crazy!” he lightly punched me on my arm, ”I told you, I am still sleepy,” she pouted.”Hmm,” I kissed her forehead, ”I love you.””Love you too,” she said, now closing her eyes, ”but can your hands behave? They are being naughty.””Really?” I smiled, ”guess my hands now have their own minds.””Stuart!”Damn, that was sexy! I liked it whenever she uttered my name. I did not stop myself anymore. I held her chin and tasted her lips. She responded to my kiss and brushed her
*Patricia’s POV*A relieved smile was painted on his face as he said, ”Love, I love you too, but let me just finish my proposal, okay?”Tears flowed from my eyes as I shook my head, ”I love you so much that I can’t let you have a damaged heart.”His smile quickly faded, ”Love, please,” he pleaded.I was about to answer, but someone from behind interrupted, ”I will not allow you to embarrass my son to everyone, Patricia.”I turned to see the angry face of Stuart’s father as he said, ”Stuart, get up!”His voice was filled with authority that even when he was not holding a microphone, everyone could still hear him.”I-I’m sorry, Mr. Cordoval,” I blurted out, ”but I think this is what’s best for all of us.””Who told you that this is the best?” his voice roared across the hall, ”you signed a contract.””Is this about the contract wherein your son bought all my services?” I tried to make my voice firm.”I am not referring to that contract, Patricia,” he answered.I do not know what he was
*Stuart’s POV*I swallowed my pride and stayed persistent because I did not want to give up on pursuing Patricia. For more than four years, she has been my stalker, not giving up no matter how I tried to drive her away; now that the table has been turned, I cannot just give up this easily. Seeing her in my office daily was good, even if she treated me coldly. She wants everything kept on a professional level, so I decided to assign the preparations for the company’s anniversary party to her. That way, she will be too preoccupied to notice me watching her. There is still pain in her eyes, and I hate it because I know that I was the one that caused her all those pain.I wished I could turn back time. I wished I could undo everything I had done to her. I wished I had known better before.”Is the mini stage ready?” I heard her ask her assistant, ” How about the menu? Is everything ready?”She gave out a relieved smile every time her assistant confirmed positively. She obviously loved what
*Patricia’s POV*”Good morning, Miss Pat,” the secretary greeted me, ” Sir Stuart has been waiting for you since he arrived this morning,” she continued as she opened the door for me.”Love,” Stuart stood as soon as he saw me.”Stay right there,” I said, ”first condition, stay away from me. It would be much better if you maintain a certain distance between us.””If that will make you stay, I will do it,” he answered.”That’s another one,” I pointed out, ”I am here to work, so if it is time for work, don’t do anything that will make my work awkward. Treat me as an employee. And lastly, I demand a break. That means I should not be with you all the time. If you agree with my conditions, I can start now.””Everything’s clear,” he said, ”but I already have a secretary, so you’ll do your usual work assignments besides being a secretary.”I don’t know why I felt jealous, knowing he kept his secretary even if I was already there. I should be glad my workload will be lessened, but why am I dis
*Patricia’s POV*”Patricia Sandoval,” the agent called my name. I have tried applying for a job but to no avail. I have not received any invitation for an interview. This is why I tried relying on a job placement agency. This way, I could probably get a chance to land a job that suits my qualifications.”I am sorry,” the agent handed me my application, ”we cannot hire you.””W-what? What do you mean?” I was confused.”I am not authorized to tell you the details,” she lowered her head as if she was guilty of something.”Don’t you have anyone whom I can talk to? I need to know what is wrong with my applications. Why am I rejected? This seems to be the same with the other companies I have applied for.””I will be honest with you,” she whispered, ”your resume is good, but I think there is a problem with your employment history. When we entered your name, it says there that you are blacklisted.”BLACKLISTED. Only one person came to mind when I heard the word. Stuart is the only person capa
*Patricia's POV*I never thought I'd cause Kaz and Vivienne so much trouble because of the kiss I gave Kaz in front of many people. It speculated about their fake relationship, which is why Kaz and Vivienne are now doing whatever they can to solve the problem. Vivienne even went further by kissing Mago in front of all the cameramen to prove that kissing among our circle of friends is normal. On the other hand, Kaz has decided to bring their fake relationship to the next level, which is to pursue their fake wedding.Everyone in the house was busy preparing for their pre-nuptial photoshoot. As expected, all my friends, including Stuart, were there. I tried to keep myself away from him, even though he had tried all means to talk to me. I love him, but it is not enough for me to forgive him and my cousin." Just let me ex-"" Explain?" I stopped him." Explain what? There is nothing to explain, Stuart. Your explanation can never change the fact that both you and my cousin cheated on me on
*Patricia's POV* It didn’t take long for Kaz to arrive. I told him what happened and asked him to take me to a bar. “Patricia, that’s enough,” Kaz tried to stop me from drinking another bottle of beer. “Don’t you dare stop me, Kaz Legaspi! I simply want to get wasted. Do you hear me?” I drunkenly uttered. “What do you want me to do just for you to stop drinking?” he desperately asked. “Sing to me a song, Kaz. I want you to sing me a song you will dedicate to me only for me.” Kaz did as I asked. He went to the mini-stage and dedicated Enrique Iglesias’ “Why Not Me” to me. I watched him sing passionately to me. Kaz often proved his love to me, but I continuously fell for the wrong guy here. Why can’t I just love Kaz? He is also a good catch – rich, handsome, very thoughtful – but the best of all is HE LOVES ME. Everyone in the place thought that he was singing the song for his fake fiancé, Viviene, so I felt like being a bitch. I stood from my place and walked towards the mini
*Patricia’s POV* “Sandra!” I couldn’t contain the happiness I felt upon seeing her. “This is Alexis, my daughter,” she introduced the kid next to her. “Hi, Alexis,” I lowered myself to greet the kid and invited them both to get inside the house. I am sure Stuart would be happy to see his best friend. Her arrival is timely since I do not have a maid of honor for my wedding. “Love?” Stuart called but froze upon seeing Sandra with me. “Love,” I smiled lovingly, “Sandra’s here. Look, she has a cute little kid.” I couldn’t tell if Stuart was happy, but I think it was because Sandra’s visit was so unexpected. Besides, we have not talked about her since he came back. “I- I think we should better go,” Sandra uttered, “we may have disturbed you.” “What are you thinking?” I stopped her, “You’re my cousin, and you are the best friend of my fiancé.” “F-fiance?” she obviously could not believe what I just said, so I got so excited to announce to her our engagement. “You’ve been so away s